Graduate

 

APPLY ONLINE

 

CONFIDENTIAL REFERENCE FORM

 

Please click on the program you wish to apply to [the link will take you to a secure online form]:

MA Program | PhD Program | JD Program

Additional Admission Information

Admission to the Master's and Ph.D. programs is open to students who hold a Bachelor's degree. Applicants to the Ph.D. program whose qualifications are sufficient for the M.A. program but not for the Ph.D. program will be admitted as M.A. students. Students admitted to the Ph.D. program who do not already hold a Master's will earn the M.A. degree as part of their doctoral studies. U.S. citizens may apply for admission on a part-time basis (However, doctoral students should be aware of the residency requirement and 7 year time limit to achieve the PhD). Students in the Master's program who have completed, or are in the final stage of completing, the M.A. degree at the University at Buffalo must formally apply for admission to the Ph.D. program in order to pursue the doctoral degree.

Successful applicants will have achieved a combined score of at least 1200 on the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Exam, and a score of at least 4.5 on the Analytical Section of the same exam. A minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) is required for admission to the M.A. program. A minimum GPA of 3.3 in previous graduate study is required for admission to the Ph.D. program. The Graduate Admission Committee may waive these requirements if other application materials are deemed to warrant admission to the graduate program.

All applicants for the M.A. and Ph.D. program must submit the following information, by the deadline dates listed below:

  1. completed application form online;

  2. $50.00 (non-refundable) application fee. Please attach to your application a check or money order in the amount of $50.00 in U.S. currency made out to: University at Buffalo;

  3. official transcripts (which include your Grade Point Average) from all colleges and universities attended. Have the institution mail an official transcript directly to the Department of Political Science;

  4. at least three confidential letters of recommendation from persons familiar with your academic work. Have the
    individuals mail their letters directly to the Department of Political Science;

  5. official results of the Aptitude Test (verbal, quantitative, and analytical parts) of the Graduate Record Examination. Have the testing service mail official scores directly to the Department of Political Science (Institutional code is 2925 and Departmental code is 1999);

It is the responsibility of the APPLICANT to ensure that all materials are received by the deadline(s) posted. Applicants can see what materials have been received by the Department by visiting their status page. Also, applicants need to check their email, provided on their application, frequently. Any necessary communication from the Department will be done via email.

International applicants must also provide the following:

  1. official results of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) examination. Have the testing service mail official scores directly to the Department of Political Science;

  2. a certified copy of the International Applicant Financial Statement form (with applicable supporting documents and signatures). You must submit this form showing the amount necessary in US dollars.  That is, you must submit the form showing at least enough funds for one academic year.  Please click on this link for the financial form: http://wings.buffalo.edu/intadmit/formgraduate.htm

All these materials should be sent directly to the Department of Political Science. The Fall deadline dates for ALL completed application materials to the Department of Political Science are: January 15 for all applicants seeking financial assistance from this Department. All other international applicants seeking Fall admission must have ALL completed application materials to the Department of Political Science by March 1; all other U.S. applicants must have ALL completed application materials to the Department of Political Science by June 1.

For those seeking Spring admission, international applicants must have ALL completed application materials to the Department of Political Science by September 1; U.S. applicants must have ALL completed applications materials to the Department of Political Science by November 1.